Advertising device



Aug. 4, 1936. s. R. FRY

ADVERTISING DEVICE 2 Sheets-Shet 1 Filed May 25, 1955 Jim/76y l 7 o o o o o J UW%'\ ATTORNEY.

INVENIOR.

S. R. FRY

ADVERTI S ING DEVI CE Flled May 25, 1955 WIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIJwill Aug. 4, 19.36.

Patented Aug. 4, 1936 STATES PATENT. OFFICE Application May 25,

7 Claims.

This invention relates to an advertising device.

Objects of this invention are to provide a novel form of advertising device which may be used to advertise any of many different commodities, for example beer, and to provide such a device which is so organized that it gives an illuminated display with life like reality, the displayed parts, such, for example, as a glass of beer, giving the appearance of beer actually flowing into the glass and the foam forming therein and running down over the sides thereof.

Further objects are to provide an advertising device which is wholly automatic in its operation, which is very simple in construction although providing the moving or animated eifects, and which is so constructed that it may be operated from a single electric lamp to thus provide a device economical in operation.

Further objects are to provide an advertising device in which a rotating means provides not only the animated or moving portion for certain parts of the device, for example a glass of beer, but also provides a different type of moving or animated effect at some other portion of the display device and having a different characteristic, as a specific example for instance a glass with beer running into it, bubbles forming therein, foam, and foam running down the sides thereof and at the same time and from the same source of light to provide a traveling series of bright spots or illumination of different intensities traveling across forming a name or other sign.

Further objects are to provide an advertising device which is so constructed that a rotating member, for instance a rotating cylinder and driving propeller or wind wheel is provided and is supported on a removable jewel mounting so that if damage should occur to the cylinder or propeller, the jewel mounting may be readily detached and used on a new rotating member, thus materially reducing expense and repair.

A still further object of this invention is to prcvide means cooperating with the rotating cylinder so that although one effect is produced at one portion of the advertising device, general illumination without the same effect is produced in a certain selected zone, a still other selected zone having a still further and different lighting effect.

Further objects are to provide a construction in which removable slides or plates are provided so that different types of containers, glasses, or other devices can be substituted at will to thus vary the sign or advertising device from time to time.

Further objects are to provide a construction 1935, Serial No. 23,374

which is self-contained, which may be readily carried within a permanent housing, and which is cheap to produce.

Embodiments of the invention are shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the device with parts broken away.

Figure 2 is a view with the top removed and with parts broken away.

Figure 3 is a sectional view on the line 3-3 Figure 9 is a viewshowing a fragment of the stencil plate employed in producing a letter effect, such view being from the under side of the plate.

The advertising device or display device comprises a casing l of box like formation preferably provided with a removable top 2 and a glass front panel 3. The front panel is provided with a pair of guides i, see Figure 4, mounted on its inner side for receiving a removable glass or other transparent slide of sub-panel 5. Preferably a piece of celluloid 6 is positioned behind the small panel 5. The small panel and the celluloid panel 6 are removable and it is intended that interchangeable panels be provided so that the display may be changed from time to time.

Within the housing or box I an electric lamp 1 is positioned and carried by a base 8 secured to the floor of the cabinet or housing. Apertures 9 are formed immediately adjacent the lamp and preferably the housing is supported by small feet ill, see Figure 3. Vent holes H provided with shading bafiies 52, see Figure 1, are provided in the top of the cabinet to prevent light from escaping at any point other than through the front main panel 3.

A supporting frame i3 is clamped to the socket of the lamp and is provided with a pin M at its uppermost point. This pin M, see Figure 6, is sharpened at its upper end and supports a jewel bearing member l5. This jewel bearing member is removable and formed in two portions. The lower portion I6 is adapted to pass upwardly through the central aperture in the fan or propeller I? and has a reduced threaded portion received in the nut or internally threaded knob I8 to removably clamp the jewel bearing member to the fan so that in the event damage occurs, the jewel bearing member may be removed and positioned within another fan, thereby materially reducing the expense of replacements.

A transparent cylinder I9 is supported from the fan. This cylinder is relatively light and may be formed from celluloid or any other suitable material. A convenient way of carrying the cylinder is to form reduced projecting tongues 29 on the outer ends of the fan blades, see Figure 3, and after passing these tongues through the apertures in the cylinder i9, to clamp them or press them down against the cylinder. Preferably a small metal band 2| is secured to the lower edge of the cylinder to both strengthen it and assist in stabilizing it.

It is obvious that rising hot air from the lamp causes the fan to rotate, thereby rotating the cylinder a suitable design being painted on the cylinder, as will appear hereinafter. The speed of rotation may be controlled by using a longer or shorter socket into which the lamp is placed, thereby placing the lamp nearer to or farther from the fan. Further, a larger or smaller size lamp could be used to also control the speed. However, additional means are provided which may be used either in conjunction with the other expedients or alone to control the speed of rotation of the cylinder. This means consists of a disk 22, see Figures 3 and 4, rigid with the socket of the lamp and provided with a plurality of apertures 23.

A movable disk 24 is adapted to be rocked by means of a small handle 25 and is provided with a plurality of apertures 26 which'may register to a greater or lesser degree with the apertures 23 and thereby control the flow of air upwardly into the cylinder, thus controlling the speed of rotation of the cylinder. Preferably tongues 21 are carried by one of the disks, for instance the disk 24, and loosely clamped beneath the other disk to prevent separation. If desired, means for limiting the angular or rocking motion of the disk 24 may also be provided, for instance, the slot and pin construction, the slot 28 being formed in the plate 24 and the pin 29 being carried by the plate 22.

The front transparent panel has any article Whose display it is desired to make, painted thereon. For instance in the form chosen for illustration, a beer keg 38 is painted on the panel in translucent or transparent paint and this beer.

keg may have its spigot similarly painted, the spigot being indicated at 3|. The remainder of the front panel, for instance the area outside of the keg and spigot'indicated generally by the preference character 32, may be blacked out or otherwise rendered wholly opaque or substantially opaque with the exception of the area occupied by'the movable slide 5 indicated in dotted lines.

This portion of the front panel is left clear and unpainted. However, a vessel, such for example as a beer glass 33, is painted on the removable slide 5, the lower portion being painted as if filled with beer and the upper portion indicated at 34 being painted as if filled with foam. The foam also is painted on the upper portion of the glass, as indicated in Figure 1, and a part immediately surrounding the glass shown in dotted lines and indicated by the reference "chap.

acter 35 may either be left clear or may be paint ed to represent foam. The remainder of the The rotating cylinder has a design paintedthereon substantially as indicated in Figure 5 by the reference character 31. This painting on the rotating cylinder I9 may be of beer color and is preferably formed of adjacent, downwardly extending, angularly arranged lines. For instance, the transverse portion of successive steps in each line may have a' greater and greater slant, as shown in Figure 5.

These lines are relatively narrow bands of a color corresponding to beer in the particular form chosen for illustration. The portion immediately above these lines is painted with a lighter, for instance white spots indicated by the reference character 38. This upper section is in approximate alignment with the upper portion 34, see Figure l, of the glass which has foam painted thereon and with the upper foaming part of the glass.

It isto be understood, of course, that the design on the cylinder [9 and on the glass 33 is of translucent or transparent paint so that light may shine therethrough.

When the cylinder rotates in the direction shown by the arrow in Figure 5, it is obvious that a moving life like effect is simulated. The light shines through the transparent or translucent cylinder I9 and through the transparent or trans lucent glass and gives the effect of the streamof beer flowing downwardly into the glass and; bubbles forming and moving about in the glass, as well as foam running over the top of the glass and down the sides thereof, as is obvious from a consideration of Figure 5 and the immediately preceding description. This effect can be enhanced somewhat by providing the perforated celluloid or other type of member 6 immediately behind the removable slide as the perforations emphasize the bubble effect.

Other slides may be substituted for the slide shown. For instance, a slide as shown in Figure 7 and indicated by the reference character 39 may be employed to indicate another type of glass, for instance, or another article. It is painted and formed in exactly the same manner as that described in connection with the slide 5. The celluloid member, see Figure 8, is indicated by the reference character 40 and it has the outline of a glass painted thereon indicated by the reference character 4| and is provided with a multitude of perforations within the glass as indicated at 42. Further than this, the stream of beer indicated at 43 is provided with a plurality of perforations. Immediately outside the outline of the glass a plurality of perforations are formed as indicated at 44.

This construction emphasizes the bubble effect formed in the glass as the perforated parts appear brighter and more distinctly as bubbles than the remaining part. It is preferable also to form the bubbles in the upper portion of the glass indicated by the reference character 45 slightly larger than the bubbles in the body of the glass or in the stream. Exactly the same construction is followed for the celluloid or other slide 6.

It is also preferable to bow these slides 6 or 40 outwardly towards the rotating cylinder. It has been found that this produces a slightly more pronounced effect of the central stream both above and into the glass.

It is to be noted particularly that the removable slides are in close proximity to the rotating cylinder, as shown in Figures 2 and 4. Consequently the traveling or moving eifect of the bubbles and stream is emphasized at the slides. However, means are provided for illuminating the transparent painted keg 39 from the same source of light or from a different source of light. It is preferable to use the sarnesource of light, however, and this is accomplished by providing a plurality of mirrors, for example, 45, ll and 48, to catch the rearwardly or outwardly projecting rays from the lamp and concentrate them on the area covered by the keg. It is noted that there is such a blending or mixing of light from different sections of the rotating cylinder that the pronounced, sharply defined streaks or lines painted on the cylinder, as shown in Figure 5, merge or blend and provide a more or less general illumination for the keg, thus providing a wholly different eifect on the keg and on the spigot than that produced in the glass and in the beer stream.

It is preferable to provide an upper slanting mirror 49 immediately above the fan of the rtating cylinder. This mirror catches the flickering light or moving light that passes between the vanes of the fan and projects them towards the central portion of the keg. This gives a moving,-

rather bright light effect at the central portion of the keg.

A screen or thin metal plate 59 is carried immediately below the mirror 69 and preferably has word formed therein, for example the word Bock, see Figure 9, by means of perforations The light from the spaces between the fan passing upwardly through these perforations strikes the mirror 49 and is projected as an illuminated word centrally of the keg or wherever else desired thereon, depending on the setting of the mirror 49. The result is that the central portion of the keg has a relatively brightly illuminated flickering sign in the form of a name.

These threedistinctly different effects are produced from a single source of light and through the agency of the rotating member, for example, the flowing beer and overflowing foam produced at the glass, the general illumination for the keg with some varied coloring effects due to the unequal and shifting blending of the lights from the several mirrors it, l? and 58, and the flickering word.

It will be seen that a novel form of display or advertising device has been provided which produces an animated or life like effect. This device, it will be noted, is very economical to operate as it need employ only a single lamp, as shown. It obviously can be constructed either for indoor or outdoor use and requires substantially no attention.

Sometimes the fans and cylinders may become damaged in which event the relatively costly jewel bearing can be removed, saved and replaced in a new fan, as it can be unscrewed and thereafter clamped to a new fan, as described.

It is to be distinctly understood that the particular article or articles chosen for illustration are not intended in any way as excluding other types of articles that could be painted on the device and used as the means for exhibition or display.

Although this invention has been described in considerable detail, it is tobe understood that such description is intended as illustrative rather than limiting, as the invention may be variously embodied and is to be interpreted as claimed.

I claim: I 1. An advertising sign comprising a housing having a panel provided with spaced, translucent portions, and alighting means including a lamp and a surrounding rotating cylinder for produc- 5 ing general illumination at one of said portions of the panel and for producing a moving animated lighting effect at' the other of said portions of said panel, said cylinder having a design formed thereon, said lighting means also includl0.

in a plurality of mirrors for receiving light from said lamp through said rotating cylinder and blending such light to produce the general illumination.

2. An advertising sign comprising a housing having a panel provided with spaced, translucent portions, and a lighting means including a lamp and a surrounding rotating cylinder for producing general illumination at one of said portions of the panel and for producing a moving animated lighting effect at the other of said portions of said panel, said rotating cylinder being mounted closely adjacent said last mentioned portion of said panel, said cylinder having a design formed thereon, and reflecting means for receiving light from said lamp through said cylinder and for reflecting said received light back to said first mentioned portion.

3. An advertising sign comprising a housing having a front panel, said front panel having iight transmitting portions painted to indicate an article and having an unpainted portion, a removable sub-panel carried adjacent said unpainted portion, said sub-panel being painted to represent a second article, and lighting means for illuminating both said main panel and said sub-panel and including means for producing general illumination of said main panel and a moving illumination of said sub-panel.

4. An advertising sign comp-rising a housing having a front panel, said front panel having light transmitting portions painted to indicate an article and having an unpainted portion, a removable sub-panel carried adjacent said unpainted portion, said sub-panel being painted to represent a second article, and a single lighting means for illuminating both said main panel and said sub-panel and including means for producing general illumination of said main panel and a moving illumination of said sub-panel.

5. An advertising sign comprising a housing having a transparent front panel, said panel having a dispensing means painted thereon with light transmitting paint, a removable sub-panel carried by said front panel and having a receiving means painted thereon with light transmitting paint, a lamp and a light transmitting cylinder mounted closely adjacent said sub-panel, means for rotating said cylinder, said cylinder having a design painted thereon at an angle to its axis for producing a moving lighting effect through said sub-panel, and reflecting means for reflecting light on to said main panel, said reflecting means blending said light after it has passed through said cylinder.

6. An advertising sign comprising a housing having .a front light transmitting portion provided with spaced, painted portions, said portions being painted with translucent paint, a lamp, a Q rotating light transmitting cylinder surrounding said lamp and having a fan attached at its upper end for rotating said cylinder by the rising heated air from said lamp, said cylinderhaving a design painted thereon, a perforated member mounted adjacent one of said painted portions and said cylinder and lamp being mounted adjacent such portion and being relatively remote from said other painted portion.

7. An advertising sign comprising a housing having a front portion provided. with alight transmitting panel having an article painted thereon, a lamp Within said housing, a rotatable cylinder surrounding said lamp, a wind wheel pivotally mounted above said lamp and supporting and rotating said cylinder upon the rising of heated air from said lamp, a mirror mounted above said wind wheel for reflecting light from the spaces between the vanes of said. wind wheel upon part of the painted portion of said front panel, and a screen interposed between said wind wheel and mirror and having insignia formed therein by holes passing through said screen, whereby the insignia will appear as flickering lights on the painted portion of said front panel and whereby said painted portion will be generally illuminated by the light passing through said rotating 10 cylinder.

V SIDNEY R. FRY. 

